Troop Capitol Hill

In March, Lily, a Girl Scout Cadette from Chesapeake, represented Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast as the only Girl Scout invited to speak at a national congressional briefing hosted by Girl Scouts of the USA Troop Capitol Hill in Washington DC. She spoke about her experience with the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast’s advocacy committee, which allows adult and teen members to speak up for policies that support the well-being of girls through addressing policy makers and fellow stakeholders. She also shared her experiences that were directly related to bullying and relational aggression in school, and how she has learned to navigate unhealthy social situations in a way that allows her to overcome the scenario and recognize the positive people in her life.

Sally Schaeffer, director of public policy with

Girl Scouts of the USA, Girl Scout Cadette Lily, and 

Dr. Kamla Modi with the Girl Scout Research Institute

Lily was joined at the briefing by Marcy Germanotta, communications director for Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast. Germanotta offered perspective on what Girl Scouts in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina does to address issues of physical and emotional health, education, leadership and other topics covered in The State of Girls: Unfinished Business, a study conducted by  the Girl Scout Research Institute. She discussed community partnerships that Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast has developed to engage girls in out-of-school activities, thereby giving girls the opportunity to avoid unhealthy and unproductive behaviors by providing a safe environment with peers they can relate to and role models they can look up to.

Read more about the experience on the Girl Scouts of the USA blog.